Players constantly losing and then regaining connection

[SheckyS]

Hi,

I've been using FG for a while now as a player with no problems. But now I am starting to try my hand as a DM and the connection issues are driving me CRAZY!

I have a cable modem and a router. Initially, no one could connect to me at all. I found some articles on how to set up a static IP and then how to set open up port 1802. So now the players are connecting okay.

But they are constantly dropping and reconnecting and I have no idea why or how to solve it. :(

'xxx' connection lost. Waiting for reconnect.
'xxx' reconnected.
'yyy' connection lost. Waiting for reconnect.
'yyy' reconnected.
'zzz' connection lost. Waiting for reconnect.
'zzz' reconnected.

It happens every couple of minutes and all of the players seem to get disconnected at once. So I'm guessing it's probably something on my end, but I don't even know what to do.

I saw some other posts about the same issue but there wasn't much useful advice. Mostly gibberish network-speak that doesn't mean anything to me.

Can someone help? :)

[damned]

sent you a PM.

[TMO]

Hi,

I've been using FG for a while now as a player with no problems. But now I am starting to try my hand as a DM and the connection issues are driving me CRAZY!

I have a cable modem and a router. Initially, no one could connect to me at all. I found some articles on how to set up a static IP and then how to set open up port 1802. So now the players are connecting okay.

But they are constantly dropping and reconnecting and I have no idea why or how to solve it. :(

'xxx' connection lost. Waiting for reconnect.
'xxx' reconnected.
'yyy' connection lost. Waiting for reconnect.
'yyy' reconnected.
'zzz' connection lost. Waiting for reconnect.
'zzz' reconnected.

It happens every couple of minutes and all of the players seem to get disconnected at once. So I'm guessing it's probably something on my end, but I don't even know what to do.

I saw some other posts about the same issue but there wasn't much useful advice. Mostly gibberish network-speak that doesn't mean anything to me.

Can someone help? :)

I'm trying to troubleshoot some similar issues on my end. I can't say that I have (yet) seen this happen to the degree SheckyS is reporting, but I am seeing it happen off and on. One of my players blamed his in-law's wifi, so I left it alone. But now my son, who is in the same wifi network that I am in (although my server is connected via Ethernet cable), is getting it. Our gear is fairly new and high-end, so I would not have expected this.

Hence, I am trying to rule out problems with my local NIC, the router, or just blame each client that it is happening to. Not sure how to properly isolate this and resolve. Any tips would be most welcome.

[Trenloe]

Any tips would be most welcome.
Make sure the player on the local network connects to the GM with your internal IP (probably 192.168.xx.yy) and not use the external IP or the campaign alias.

Once connected, get the local player to run a command prompt window and type ping -t ww.xx.yy.zz and press return, where ww.xx.yy.zz is the internal IP address of the GM computer. Keep this window open, it will keep "pinging" the GM computer. When the player disconnects, have a look at the window - see if it is showing any missed pings/errors - take a quick screenshot of the command window. This will be the first step in attempting to track down the issue.

[TMO]

Make sure the player on the local network connects to the GM with your internal IP (probably 192.168.xx.yy) and not use the external IP or the campaign alias.

Once connected, get the local player to run a command prompt window and type ping -t ww.xx.yy.zz and press return, where ww.xx.yy.zz is the internal IP address of the GM computer. Keep this window open, it will keep "pinging" the GM computer. When the player disconnects, have a look at the window - see if it is showing any missed pings/errors - take a quick screenshot of the command window. This will be the first step in attempting to track down the issue.

Awesome. Thanks for that. I'll advise of any worthwhile discoveries.

[dulux-oz]

As a general rule, 2 or more people running FG over the same WLAN (WiFi) is something I don't recommend, primarily because WiFi is a "shared" medium. If you run via a Switch (not a Hub, which the WiFi Base Station acts like) you will have a lot less issues.

And before anyone jumps up and down on me, let me "pull rank" and remind people that I have over 25 years expeience as an ICT Consultant, a Masters Degree in IT (major in Data Communications) and several Cisco Certifications (including a Cisco Certified Network Professional - CCNP), plus a slew of other IT Industry qualifications.

Let me also remind people that when running FG as the GM you are running a "server" - and professional we never run servers over WiFi because of the very way that WiFi works when compared to Ethernet, Token Ring or FDDI (to name a few).

Cheers

[TMO]

As a general rule, 2 or more people running FG over the same WLAN (WiFi) is something I don't recommend, primarily because WiFi is a "shared" medium. If you run via a Switch (not a Hub, which the WiFi Base Station acts like) you will have a lot less issues.

And before anyone jumps up and down on me, let me "pull rank" and remind people that I have over 25 years expeience as an ICT Consultant, a Masters Degree in IT (major in Data Communications) and several Cisco Certifications (including a Cisco Certified Network Professional - CCNP), plus a slew of other IT Industry qualifications.

Let me also remind people that when running FG as the GM you are running a "server" - and professional we never run servers over WiFi because of the very way that WiFi works when compared to Ethernet, Token Ring or FDDI (to name a few).

Cheers

That's the way to lay down the hammer! :)

In case it was overlooked, my server is running off of a direct connected Ethernet cable.

I do, however, have two people connecting into FG from my home network via wifi (which is the same wifi that services a lot of other devices in the house.)

I am not using my cable company's wifi. It is strictly a modem. I purchased an ASUS RT-AC66U to provide wifi connectivity. Is there an option that you might recommend as a significantly better choice?

[dulux-oz]

In case it was overlooked, my server is running off of a direct connected Ethernet cable.

I do, however, have two people connecting into FG from my home network via wifi (which is the same wifi that services a lot of other devices in the house.)

I am not using my cable company's wifi. It is strictly a modem. I purchased an ASUS RT-AC66U to provide wifi connectivity. Is there an option that you might recommend as a significantly better choice?

No, that wasn't overlooked - it doesn't matter who is on the WiFi (host or clients).

WiFi is a CSMA/CA technology (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance) which means that only one node will transmit at a time, with all the nodes waiting until the airwaves are free (don't forget that WiFi is radio, and radio in/near the AM band, and also susceptible to microwave ovens). Also, due to the actual implementation of WiFi, the speed of the entire WiFi "segment" (the area in the WiFi range of the Base Station) runs at the speed of the slowest node - and the further away from the Base Station the slower the node will run, down to about 1 Mbps near the edge.

So with WiFi, the total speed of the WLAN is the same as the slowest Node connection speed, and the total speed of the WLAN is shared by all of the connected Nodes. So even if you are sitting on top of the Base Station that "nominally" runs at 200Mbs, if you have one other Node at the edge that's running at 1 Mbps you'll run at 1 Mbps - divided by 2 (or divided by the number of Nodes there are).

Ethernet, on the other hand, is CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection), which means that while only one node can transmit at the same time, all the nodes will start to transmit and "listen" for a collision (and stop transmitting if one is "heard").

"But that's practically the same", you say. Yeap, its very close, and when using a Hub the effect is the same. BUT when we use a Switch, the network segment where the nodes have to detect each other only contains 2 nodes (the one at each end of the wire). And, provided you don't exceed the 100m cable length between Nodes or Node & Switch, the segment will run at the full speed, regardless of distance. And, because of the way 100Mb/1Gb Ethernet is implemented, each Node can transmit and receive at the same time (WiFi can't do this).

So it should be obvious why running over Ethernet is "better" than running over WiFi - you actually get the speed and throughput you expect and FG requires. WiFi's only advantage is that you don't have to have a wire.

So to answer your question: I recommend running over Ethernet with a Switch. If you have to run over WiFi then it doesn't really matter which device you use as a Base Station (although newer is better) - but try to minimize the number of nodes and the distance each node is from the Base Station.

Cheers

Edit: Let me correct something I said above which wasn't explained as fully/clearly as it could have been (thanks damned): When there are 2 (or more) nodes on a WLAN that are at different distances from the Base Station (Access Point (AP)) the WLAN will run at the speed of the slowest during the times when the AP is sending out control packets, broadcasts, multicasts, or whenever else it needs (or the individual nodes need) to talk to everybody - this can be a significant proportion of the time. When a node is talking to the AP only (and vice-versa) then it will do so at the best speed of the node/AP - which will still be significantly less than the "advertised" speed.

My apologies if people were mislead.

[Nylanfs]

And before anyone jumps up and down on me, let me "pull rank" and remind people that I have over 25 years expeience as an ICT Consultant, a Masters Degree in IT (major in Data Communications) and several Cisco Certifications (including a Cisco Certified Network Professional - CCNP), plus a slew of other IT Industry qualifications. Cheers

Pfft, what ever I just read a wikipedia page, so I obviously know just as much as you. </tongue in cheek>

[dulux-oz]

Pfft, what ever I just read a wikipedia page, so I obviously know just as much as you. </tongue in cheek>

And so I rest my case, m'lud! :p

(BTW, I wrote some of those pages)

[Full Bleed]

Well, I'm not going to tackle someone with so many certifications related directly to the merits of WiFi versus Ethernet, etc... But I will offer some additional thoughts on the issue.

As background, I've provided a great deal of technical support on VTT server setup and connections to said servers with regard to a "competing" VTT for many (8+) years.

And one of the things I've learned is that when behavior changes (i.e. TMO says, "But now my son...") something has probably changed leading to the change in behaviour.

So while I concur that getting your son onto a switched ethernet line will very likely solve the above connection problem, if he's been using WiFi for a long time without issue, you might be able to troubleshoot that problem, too.

Recent Personal Case in Fact: For years I've been playing an MMO weekly with my GF local on a WiFi connection (I'm wired). For the last 4-5 months she would get kicked out of Oovoo (the video conferencing software we've been using for 3-4 years) and/or lose connection to the MMO, only to be able to reconnect pretty quickly. This happened about once a night in during a 3-4 hour session. Lately, those disconnect have increased to up to twice a night. Further (and this is more cogent to the discussion), I recently had a friend in town whom I put on her computer so that he could run a client (via WiFi) to connect to said competing VTT software. And, wouldn't you know, about 3 times in a 5 hour session he lost connection to Oovoo and the VTT in much the same way she was losing connection to the MMO.

Solution: I swapped in a new external WiFi adapter (the same exact model as the old one, since I had a back-up) and the problem has completely gone away. Stable connections across the board (in the MMO, Oovoo, and the VTT). Thus, the adapter she was using was going bad. It happens.

If it hadn't turned out to be the adapter itself I would have troubleshot the network port it was connected too. Failing that, I would have run an ethernet line to her computer. Failing that, I would have gone into the software side of things before returning to more obscure hardware fail-points.


In short, the fact that your son's problem is a change in behaviour (though you didn't indicate how long you had trouble-free connections with him) I'd be inclined to believe that there is a more specific reason for that change that *may* be more easily tackled than getting a switched hard-line to their computer (though, that very well might be the easiest solution as it would bypass a number of possible problems with the current setup).

[TMO]

Solution: I swapped in a new external WiFi adapter (the same exact model as the old one, since I had a back-up) and the problem has completely gone away.

Just so I am clear what this means, is the WiFi adapter the device that the computer is using to connect to the WiFi or is this the wireless router that is being connected to?


In short, the fact that your son's problem is a change in behaviour (though you didn't indicate how long you had trouble-free connections with him)

None of us have being doing this long enough and consistently enough to base any comparison against. But your points are well taken. Thanks.

[dulux-oz]

It means the adapter connecting to the computer :)

And don't get me wrong: if people want to run WiFi that's great (I stream movies to my laptop in bed over WiFi - but I understand the implications and accept the implications of doing this, and I'm the only one on the WiFi network) - I was simply bringing to people's attention some of the benefits and failings of WiFi that most people are not aware of - and which consequently may lead to issues.

I agree - let's troubleshoot the WiFi before we spend money we may not have to on a Switched Network. One of the things you may like to do is see if you can do a WiFi analysis and see if any of your neighbors are running on or near the same channel you are. Check for Microwave overs (they effect WiFi). See who/what else is doing things at the same time you have issues with FG connectivity - in short, see if anything is providing interference with the radio waves (I've seen sunspots cause issues with WiFi, cordless telephones, wireless PA systems, and the local AM radio station which was boosting its power at 6pm every weeknight for the news broadcast cause issues).

In short, be aware of how WiFi actually works, what can cause it to "play up", and what its limitations are - and do the same for your Ethernet, ADSL, and Cable Internet as well :)

Cheers

[midas]

And one of the things I've learned is that when behavior changes (i.e. TMO says, "But now my son...") something has probably changed leading to the change in behaviour.


Whenever I'm told "nothing has changed" and "I don't understand, it was working fine this morning" my response has been, "Everything works until it breaks." :)

[Juliodgm]

I have the same problem with window 10 What can I do to Fix this problem?

[TMO]

I have the same problem with window 10 What can I do to Fix this problem?

Are you saying that you were working just fine with the same computer in a previous version of Windows but you recently upgraded to Windows 10 and the problem started? Or are you saying that you are using a new computer that also has Windows 10 and the problem is occurring?

[LordEntrails]

Welcome Juliodgm.

As TMO says, give us some more details and we will be happy to see if we can help you.

[Juliodgm]

Are you saying that you were working just fine with the same computer in a previous version of Windows but you recently upgraded to Windows 10 and the problem started? Or are you saying that you are using a new computer that also has Windows 10 and the problem is occurring?

It is my first time has a DM I have windows 10 and my connection always end in failure. So It is the first time y try. I have never use FG in windows 8

[TMO]

It is my first time has a DM I have windows 10 and my connection always end in failure. So It is the first time y try. I have never use FG in windows 8

Okay, this is information is helpful but we will still need to get more information from you. When you say "my connection always end in failure", are you saying your players are failing to connect to your session?

[LordEntrails]

It is my first time has a DM I have windows 10 and my connection always end in failure. So It is the first time y try. I have never use FG in windows 8
Ok, so this is probably not a Windows 10 issue.

If you want to research your issue on the forums here, search for "port forward" and/or "connection test failure".

The issue is that your network and firewalls have to allow incoming connections to your computer on port 1802 using IPv4 protocols.
-Check that your internet connection is a private, not public, connection (i.e. Home or Work)
-Verify that your firewall and anti-virus has fantasygrounds.exe white listed
-From a command prompt, type tracert 8.8.8.8 and post the first 8 lines back here

[Juliodgm]

Okay, this is information is helpful but we will still need to get more information from you. When you say "my connection always end in failure", are you saying your players are failing to connect to your session?

yes they can't connect to my session. And went I hit "Run test" it ends in failure.

[TMO]

yes they can't connect to my session. And went I hit "Run test" it ends in failure.

Then I suggest you do as LordEntrails recommends. I concur that this is not a Windows 10 issue. If you believe you have your router set up properly, try disabling any software firewall you might be running (if only temporarily to confirm this will or won't help).

[Juliodgm]

Ok, so this is probably not a Windows 10 issue.

If you want to research your issue on the forums here, search for "port forward" and/or "connection test failure".

The issue is that your network and firewalls have to allow incoming connections to your computer on port 1802 using IPv4 protocols.
-Check that your internet connection is a private, not public, connection (i.e. Home or Work)
-Verify that your firewall and anti-virus has fantasygrounds.exe white listed
-From a command prompt, type tracert 8.8.8.8 and post the first 8 lines back here

1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms 10.0.0.1
2 3 ms 2 ms 2 ms pri-008-b3.codetel.net.do [196.3.74.8]
3 36 ms 36 ms 36 ms 172.23.235.21
4 36 ms 37 ms 37 ms 172.23.225.84
5 38 ms 37 ms 37 ms 172.23.91.113
6 36 ms 35 ms 36 ms ix-et-5-3-0-0.tcore1.A56-Atlanta.as6453.net [64.86.113.157]
7 42 ms 42 ms 42 ms 64.86.113.106
8 * * * Tiempo de espera agotado para esta solicitud.

[LordEntrails]

Alright, thanks for posting that. One of the network guru's (not me!) will be able to take that info and give you the next step of advice.

[damned]

Hola Juliodgm

Have you been previously using your Windows 8 computer on the same network successfully?
Are you wired or wireless?
Is your Windows 8 computer still on the same network?
Does your connection profile (in windows Network and Sharing Centre) say Private or Public or something else?

[TMO]

Hola Juliodgm

Have you been previously using your Windows 8 computer on the same network successfully?


I am pretty sure he said that this is his first time using Fantasy Grounds. He only mentioned Windows 8 to clarify that he had not used a prior version of Windows.

Your other questions, of course, are worth considering.

[SheckyS]

Probably not the same issue I was having originally, but just in case this helps. My problem, it turned out, was my router. It was defective and doing some weird things. I bought a new router and have not had this problem happen to me since.

[Trenloe]

I think the issue here is that Juliodgm has never had this working and is confusing things by posting only bits of information in a thread that isn't really related to the issue they are having.

@Juliodgm - let's start from the beginning. You will need to setup port forwarding for TCP port 1802 from your Internet router (on IP address 10.0.0.1) to the IP address of your Fantasy Grounds GM computer.

See the networking entries in the FAQ for more information: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/faq.php?faq=networking#faq_networking_1

[Juliodgm]

I think the issue here is that Juliodgm has never had this working and is confusing things by posting only bits of information in a thread that isn't really related to the issue they are having.

@Juliodgm - let's start from the beginning. You will need to setup port forwarding for TCP port 1802 from your Internet router (on IP address 10.0.0.1) to the IP address of your Fantasy Grounds GM computer.

See the networking entries in the FAQ for more information: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/faq.php?faq=networking#faq_networking_1

I Try this before didn't work, but if this is not the place to ask for help, can you tell me where to go. And sorry for the inconvenient.

[TMO]

I think the issue here is that Juliodgm has never had this working and is confusing things by posting only bits of information in a thread that isn't really related to the issue they are having.

@Juliodgm - let's start from the beginning. You will need to setup port forwarding for TCP port 1802 from your Internet router (on IP address 10.0.0.1) to the IP address of your Fantasy Grounds GM computer.

See the networking entries in the FAQ for more information: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/faq.php?faq=networking#faq_networking_1

This is true, but in fairness I think this is what LordEntrail and myself had already concluded and then attempted to get him to document his issue better.

[Trenloe]

but if this is not the place to ask for help, can you tell me where to go. And sorry for the inconvenient.
The House of Healing is the correct place to ask for help. The main issue that caused initial confusion is that you posted in an existing thread which was for a different issue - it is quite different to your issue.

It is best to start a new thread with any issues you have, unless you find an existing thread that has *exactly* the same issue as you.

Now that we've taken over this thread we can keep going here.

Maybe it is best for you to give us as much information as possible. Because it is not clear what you have tried so far. So - please let us know exactly what you have tried to make this work. Without full details it is hard for us to help as we are just guessing...

[Juliodgm]

Hola Juliodgm

Have you been previously using your Windows 8 computer on the same network successfully?
Are you wired or wireless?
Is your Windows 8 computer still on the same network?
Does your connection profile (in windows Network and Sharing Centre) say Private or Public or something else?

No, I only use Fantasy Ground on Windows 10. But has a player. It always work. But now I try has a DM and my players can't connect.

I have a Wire connection in my PC.

The connection profile is private. It was public I change it to private to see if it work.

And with the help of a friend we did the configuration of the router to accept the forward connection on port 1802. I even try turning the firewall off.

I'm not a PC expert I'm probably doing something wrong but a don't know what it is.

[Juliodgm]

The House of Healing is the correct place to ask for help. The main issue that caused initial confusion is that you posted in an existing thread which was for a different issue - it is quite different to your issue.

It is best to start a new thread with any issues you have, unless you find an existing thread that has *exactly* the same issue as you.

Now that we've taken over this thread we can keep going here.

Maybe it is best for you to give us as much information as possible. Because it is not clear what you have tried so far. So - please let us know exactly what you have tried to make this work. Without full details it is hard for us to help as we are just guessing...

I recently responded to Dammed questions, I don't know if that info is enough.

[Trenloe]

And with the help of a friend we did the configuration of the router to accept the forward connection on port 1802.
Can you get a screenshot of this configuration and post it here? So we can check the settings are 100% correct.

[Juliodgm]

Can you get a screenshot of this configuration and post it here? So we can check the settings are 100% correct.

22717

[Zacchaeus]

I don't see anywhere on that screenshot where you are telling your router that it is Fantasy Grounds that you are setting port forwarding for. I suspect that instead of 'user defined' you should have the application box ticked and Fantasy Grounds should be in the selection drop down.

[Trenloe]

I don't see anywhere on that screenshot where you are telling your router that it is Fantasy Grounds that you are setting port forwarding for. I suspect that instead of 'user defined' you should have the application box ticked and Fantasy Grounds should be in the selection drop down.
That isn't relevant at this part of the network routing. It is on the router, which doesn't have any awareness of what applications are running on the computer. It simply forwards traffic to a specific IP address and port.

[Juliodgm]

That isn't relevant at this part of the network routing. It is on the router, which doesn't have any awareness of what applications are running on the computer. It simply forwards traffic to a specific IP address and port.

Thanks it work in app did not foun FG but I selected HTTP and it work.

[Trenloe]

I selected HTTP and it work.
This is confusing to me. What works? Does Fantasy Grounds connection test work now?

[Nylanfs]

Julio, what's your native language? Lets see if we can find a translator to make sure that nothing is being lost in the translation and transfer of information.

[Trenloe]

22717
Looking at this again, the "External Source Port Number" should be blank - clear the two fields, there shouldn't be anything in "External Source Port Number". This might be the issue.

Also, in the dropdown after the Internal Host IP address, change "JulioP" to "Select" - don't have your ID selected.

[Juliodgm]

Looking at this again, the "External Source Port Number" should be blank - clear the two fields, there shouldn't be anything in "External Source Port Number". This might be the issue.

Also, in the dropdown after the Internal Host IP address, change "JulioP" to "Select" - don't have your ID selected.

I fix the problem thanks, it was that. And my language is Spanish, one of you ask me that, but no need for a translator now I can play with my friends, thanks for the help.

[Trenloe]

I fix the problem thanks, it was that... I can play with my friends, thanks for the help.
Fantastico! :)

[JohnD]

Still no idea what the fixo waso.???

[Trenloe]

Still no idea what the fixo waso.???
I'm guessing clearing "External Source Port Number". FG player instances don't use port 1802 as their local source port - they use a random client port determined by the operating system. Having 1802 in "External Source Port Number" essentially blocked all player instances from the port forwarding rule.

[Juliodgm]

I'm guessing clearing "External Source Port Number". FG player instances don't use port 1802 as their local source port - they use a random client port determined by the operating system. Having 1802 in "External Source Port Number" essentially blocked all player instances from the port forwarding rule.

That was the fix.